All Together Now
By: Monica Pratt
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the threat of a terrorist attack has become very real for local governments. More than half of America's cities fear terrorist attacks...
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/What makes a Web site useful?
By: Mardee Alvaro
Five years ago, most local governments barely had an Internet presence, if one at all. Typically, city and county Web sites featured calendars of local...
Town redesigns online land use application
Southampton, N.Y., has created an online GIS and property control system to help area businesses access information about land management, mass appraisals,...
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Planning technology one seat at a time
By: Daniel Jarvis
Most local governments have at least a rudimentary system for ensuring that employees have the equipment they need to do their jobs, but they can save...
Department uses Web application to issue permits
By: Misty Reagin
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LADPW) is using a Web-based system to automate its transportation and excavation permitting processes....
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Computing rules for network security
By: Glenn Taylor
Over the last few years, local governments have developed rules to protect their computers from Internet threats like viruses, worms, Trojan horses and...
St. Louis unveils a crime-tracking Web site
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) has launched a publicly accessible Web site that tracks crime and police activity. Funded by a grant...
TELECOMMUNICATIONS/Audio messages assist residents in Stamford
In Stamford, Conn., a new telecommunications system is providing residents with instant information about city services 24 hours a day. DIAL Stamford,...
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Making the most of support services
By: Cathy Matheson
When local government officials are choosing software vendors, they should consider the range of support services the vendors offer in addition to the...
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Working together to create applications
By: Dennis Ellis
Local government agencies often see the potential that new computer applications have for improving their business processes, but they risk losing a large...
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Integrating software calls for flexibility
By: Deborah Kelfer
Across the country, local governments are integrating IT applications, allowing them to reconfigure services to allow residents to conduct business over...
City's computers automate responses to residents
In 1998, Chicago was using an outdated computer system to track residents' service requests. City officials were faced with the option of updating the...
Enterprise systems simplify city's IT infrastructure
Las Vegas, Nev., has installed enterprise computer systems to improve communication between departments and to improve service delivery to residents....
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Taking stock now can save money later
By: Suzanne Sliter
Today, computer systems are critical to the operation of cities and counties. The more information IT managers have about their computer systems, the...
Following the paperless trail
By: Lindsay Isaacs, Associate Editor
In Casper, Wyo., the process of finding paper documents e.g., deeds, contracts, municipal code ordinances and leases used to occupy a lot of staff time....
City invests in hardware to prepare for e-gov
Minneapolis has upgraded its technology infrastructure to better accommodate its desktop applications and to provide extensive online services. The low-maintenance...
MAPPING/Project will create consensus on geographic data
Although local governments have begun building extensive databases of geographic information, those databases are largely proprietary and cannot be shared...
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Tradition, security stall court technology
By: Rob West
Digital record storage, wireless computing and teleconferencing are widely practiced in the private sector, but courts have been slow to adopt the technology...
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Needs analysis improves enterprise GIS
By: Alissa Bails
Given the potential of a geographic information system (GIS) as a tool for enhancing decision management and efficiency, local governments can make a...
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Integrated systems improve welfare delivery
By: Robert Peck
As a result of federal legislation aimed at reducing the size of welfare roles, counties have turned to new technologies to improve their social service...
PUBLIC TRANSIT/Shuttle system creates low-impact retail district
The FlatIron Shopping District in Broomfield, Colo., is spread out across three main developments: FlatIron Crossing, FlatIron Marketplace and Main Street...
Document recording system tested in Washington
In April, the Thurston County, Wash., Auditor's Office began a 72-day pilot program to test an electronic document recording system. The program's goal...
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Managing customer relationships
By: Duncan McClain
As local governments begin using more high-tech tools to conduct business, they run the risk of losing touch with the residents they serve. Instead of...
City's computer system handles Web, phone, fax requests
While most local governments use personal computers as the main tool for delivering electronic government services, Denton, Texas, has expanded its definition...
City's GIS team helps track growth, gather data
The Santa Clarita, Calif., Planning, Building and Safety Department formed a four-member GIS team in 1999 to help manage development data in the city....
